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Attachment and quality-of-life profiles in older, non-institutionalized men

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dc.identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10755/152812

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dc.description.abstract

<table><tr><td colspan="2" class="item-title">Attachment and quality-of-life profiles in older, non-institutionalized men</td></tr><tr class="item-sponsor"><td class="label">Conference Sponsor:</td><td class="value">Sigma Theta Tau International</td></tr><tr class="item-year"><td class="label">Conference Year:</td><td class="value">1992</td></tr><tr class="item-conference-date"><td class="label">Conference Date:</td><td class="value">August 6 - 8, 1992</td></tr><tr class="item-author"><td class="label">Author:</td><td class="value">Gallman, Ruth, PhD</td></tr><tr class="item-institute"><td class="label">P.I. Institution Name:</td><td class="value">University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing</td></tr><tr class="item-author-title"><td class="label">Title:</td><td class="value">Professor</td></tr><tr class="item-email"><td class="label">Email:</td><td class="value">lgallman@mail.utexas.edu</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="item-abstract">This descriptive, correlational study investigated l) the<br/><br/>attachment and quality-of-life profiles of older, non-<br/><br/>institutionalized men, and 2) the relatiohships among attachment,<br/><br/>quality-of-life, and selected demographic variables. Four research<br/><br/>questions guided this study: l) What are the attachment profiles<br/><br/>of older non-institutionalized men?; 2) What are the dyadic bonds<br/><br/>of older, non-institutionalized men?; 3) What are the quality-of-<br/><br/>life profiles of older, non-institutionalized men?, and 4) What are<br/><br/>the relationships among attachment, quality-of-life, and selected<br/><br/>demographic variables in a sample of older, non-institutionalized<br/><br/>men? The theoretical framework for the study was based on Bowlby's<br/><br/>theory of attachment and Chubon's views regarding subjectively<br/><br/>perceived quality-of-life, or life satisfaction.<br/><br/><br/><br/>The target population included men living in a central Texas urban<br/><br/>community who were 58 years of age and older. A convenience sample<br/><br/>of 100 older men who were living independently in the community<br/><br/>participated in the study. Subjects were contacted at a Health<br/><br/>Fest, a Retirement Exposition, senior citizens activity centers,<br/><br/>and AARP meetings in Austin, Texas. Three questionnaires were<br/><br/>used: a demographic data form, the 20 item Lipson Parra Adult<br/><br/>Attachment Scale (1989) to measure the level of attachment to a<br/><br/>significant other, and Chubon's (1987) Life Situation Survey (LSS)<br/><br/>to measure perceived quality-of-life/life satisfaction. The<br/><br/>statistical package SPSS-X was used for data analysis, including<br/><br/>frequencies, correlation, and stepwise multiple regression.<br/><br/><br/><br/>The mean age of the sample was 68.4 years and the majority of the<br/><br/>subjects were white protestants, most of whom were married and<br/><br/>living with their spouse. A majority denied having any health<br/><br/>problems or any condition that limited their activity.<br/><br/><br/><br/>Findings indicated that subjects reported a strong level of<br/><br/>attachment (X=72.2; SD=9.67) to a significant other, primarily a<br/><br/>spouse (67 percent). Other reported attachments were to a friend<br/><br/>(9 percent), daughter (7 percent), `other relative (4 percent),<br/><br/>and 1 percent each to a mother, son, grandaughter, or sister.<br/><br/>Subjects' responses on the LSS evidenced perceptions of a very high<br/><br/>quality of life. The mean score of 107.3 is equal to the highest<br/><br/>LSS score reported by Chubon (1987). Pearson correlations among<br/><br/>total attachment score, total quality-of-life score and demographic<br/><br/>variables showed a significant relationship (r=.31; p=.005) between<br/><br/>perceived attachment and quality-of-life in the subjects. There<br/><br/>were also significant relationships between the following<br/><br/>demographic variables and attachment: age (r=.25; p=.02); marital<br/><br/>status (r=.24; p=.03); having female children (r=-.21; p=.05);<br/><br/>having sibling brothers (r=.24; p=.02); having living brothers<br/><br/>(r=.24; p=.03); time in current residence (r=.21; p=.05); and the<br/><br/>perception of no health problem (r=-.21; p=.05). The one<br/><br/>demographic variable that was significantly correlated to a high<br/><br/>quality of life was the subjects' perception that they did not have<br/><br/>any limiting health problem (r=.36; p=.001). Stepwise multiple<br/><br/>regression revealed that the following four predictor variables<br/><br/>accounted for a total of 26 percent of the variance of the<br/><br/>attachment total score: 1) life situation survey total score<br/><br/>(rsq=.09); 2) marital status (rsq=. 16); 3) male children<br/><br/>(rsq=.21); 4) and living brothers (rsq=.26). Regarding predictors<br/><br/>of quality-of-life, only one variable, the attachment total score,<br/><br/>entered the multiple regression equation (rsq=.09), accounting for<br/><br/>9 percent of the total variance. These findings support Bowlby's<br/><br/>(1973) conclusion that human beings of all ages are happiest and<br/><br/>most satisfied with their lives when they feel attached to one or<br/><br/>more trusted persons. As health care professionals, nurses can<br/><br/>assist elderly individuals in maintaining or transitioning<br/><br/>attachment bonds which may be essential for their survival and<br/><br/>increased quality of life.<br/><br/><br/><br/></td></tr></table>

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dc.date.available

2011-10-26T11:50:49Z

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dc.date.issued

1992-08-06

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dc.date.accessioned

2011-10-26T11:50:49Z

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dc.description.sponsorship

Sigma Theta Tau International

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